National

B.C. surgeries cancelled due to unvaccinated staff

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Nov, 2021 03:06 PM

VICTORIA - Surgeries in some British Columbia hospitals are being postponed due to staffing shortages created by more than 3,000 unvaccinated health-care workers who have been put on unpaid leave.

Health Minister Adrian Dix says there are currently 3,325 health-care workers across the province who have not been immunized against COVID-19 in violation of the government's proof-of-vaccination policy for health-care workers.

Join Adrian Dix, Minister of Health and Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC’s provincial health officer for an update on COVID-19. #CovidBC
https://t.co/ika8kszShS
— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) November 1, 2021

Dix says the staffing shortages will result in reductions of operating services in hospitals in the Interior and Fraser health authorities, while added demand for health care has forced surgery postponements in many other parts of the province.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says officials have been speaking with health-care workers in one-on-one meetings to discuss their vaccination concerns, but some are saying they are adamantly opposed to the vaccines.

She says health workers who do not recognize the importance of vaccines in battling the pandemic may not be in the right profession.

Henry also announced people in B.C. who received two doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will soon be notified they are eligible to receive a booster shot within six months of their second vaccine.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

29 COVID19 cases for Tuesday

In total, 4,941,795 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in B.C., 1,368,464 of which are second doses.

29 COVID19 cases for Tuesday

Facing unprecedented heat related casualties, VPD deploys dozens of extra officers

As of 1:45 p.m. today, VPD officers had responded to more than 65 sudden deaths since the heat wave began on Friday, with more casualties being reported by the hour. Today alone, officers had responded to 20 sudden deaths as of 1:45 p.m., with more than a dozen others waiting for police to be dispatched.

Facing unprecedented heat related casualties, VPD deploys dozens of extra officers

Meng argues for admission of HSBC evidence in case

Mark Sandler told a B.C. Supreme Court judge the documents obtained from HSBC include internal email chains and spreadsheets that undermine the allegations of fraud against Meng.

Meng argues for admission of HSBC evidence in case

Record set for drug deaths so far in 2021 in B.C

The agency says 851 people died between January and May, which surpasses the previous high of 704 deaths reported for those months in 2017 by almost 21 per cent.

Record set for drug deaths so far in 2021 in B.C

BC eases more restrictions as we enter Stage 3 of its restart plan, masks not required as of July 1

The province will be recommending people wear masks in public indoor spaces if they are partially vaccinated or not vaccinated. No recommendation to wear a mask for those who are fully vaccinated.

BC eases more restrictions as we enter Stage 3 of its restart plan, masks not required as of July 1

Vaccines saved lives already, says Tam

Canada's chief public health officer says without vaccines the third wave of COVID-19 in Canada would have been much deadlier. Dr. Theresa Tam says as vaccines began to roll out among the most vulnerable, older populations in Canada, she was "quite struck" by how quickly infections and deaths plummeted in that age group.